It’s more than a little obvious that we love smiling dogs here at Bark. From big toothy grins to impish smirks, we can’t get enough of them. So we’re thrilled to be a part of Greenie’s “Show Us Your Pet’s Healthy Smile” Contest, which launches today! The prizes are way cool (more on those in a second) but the message is even more important—increasing awareness of the importance of keeping our pets’ teeth and gums healthy and celebrating the happiness pets bring to their lives.

This year’s contest is open to both dog and cat participants. To enter, just upload the best picture of your dog or cat showing off his or her pearly whites at smile.greenies.com and then encourage your friends and family to vote. A winning dog and cat will be selected from among the top ten vote-getters by a panel of judges, which includes Bark creative director Cameron Woo, veterinary dentist Dr. Jan Bellows and Dorian Wagner, author Your Daily Cute.

The winning dog will be featured on the cover of our January/February 2012 issue, and the big smiler's family will receive a free one-year subscription to Bark along with a year’s worth of free Greenies Canine Dental Chews. Winner of the “cat”-egory will also take home a year’s worth of Feline Greenies Dental Treats and be featured in an eight-page feline insert in The Bark plus a year's free subscription. (We know cats are always very curious about the lives of dogs, even though they won’t admit it.)

The “Show Us Your Pet’s Healthy Smile” contest starts today, August 24, and runs through October 21. For full official contest rules and contest entry visit smile.greenies.com.